The time of running without some tough competition on Monday nights ended last night for WWE’s Monday Night RAW, as it was the first week of the NFL regular season with two games scheduled. Although, WWE is heading into Hell In A Cell on Sunday and most weeks, it would be argued that the final shows before pay-per-view could be the best. Was that the case this week?

The ratings for Monday are in and RAW comes in with a 2.74, a decrease of 4.6% from last week and the third week in a row now that the number has trended down. Here’s the last four weeks of ratings for the red brand:

• August 20th: 3.095
• August 28th: 2.877
• September 3rd: 2.872
• September 10th: 2.740

Monday Night RAW also took a big shot in the Cable Top 150 Rankings for the 18-49 demographic, having its spot drop from number three down to number five this week (9PM hour). Meanwhile, the 8PM hour and 10PM hour drop out of the top five to numbers six and seven:

1. NFL/Jets at Lions – ESPN – 3.78
2. NFL/Rams at Raiders – ESPN – 3.68
3. Love & Hip Hop Hollywood – VH1 – 1.02
4. Monday Night Kickoff – ESPN – 0.95
5. Monday Night RAW (9PM Hour) – 0.91

EA’s Take: I’ve been calling it for a while now and just as I suspected, Monday Night Football absolutely plays a role when it comes to RAW’s viewership. You don’t even have to be a big fan of the NFL these days or perhaps you’re of the type that just likes to throw some money down. Play fantasy football? There’s so many reasons why people who may be tuned into Monday Night RAW, may want to be tuned into the NFL even more so. There are still positives though, as RAW’s share of the 18-49 didn’t drop out too much, only losing .06 from last week. I’d still expect similar weeks to this one until January, as Monday Night Football will be watched no matter who is playing each week.

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